Kilimajaro

Where to begin? We are alive and made it back okay from Africa. It was the trip of a life time and we will try to capture as much as we can in this posting. Jennifer and I have been planning this trip for 2 years now and have been looking forward to the adventure for quite some time now. We were planning a 8 day climb to the top of Kilimanjaro and a 6 day Safari through the Serengeti.
It began with the planning. We went through a company called Destination Africa Tours. They booked the whole thing acting like brokers/travel agents. We had all of our plans set up ahead of time, and it went off without the

slightest hitch. I was a little skeptical because I planned it all without ever talking to a live person, but it worked great.
We made it to JFK and the night of December 14th and were looking forward to our mini vacation layover in Amsterdam. Those plans were quickly changed with bump off the airline we were flying, KLM. They had mess on their hands and rebooked us on Virgin Atlantic through Heathrow. We aren’t complaining, they put us in business class. We flew on a 747 and were 4 seats from the front of the plane. We also got “suites” which are seats that have partitions between you and the next seat, plus they lay flat into a bed. Needless to say, it was incredible. Virgin Atlantic was an incredible airline with the nicest people. Recommended if you have to go across the Atlantic Ocean.
We finally made it to Kilimanjaro International Airport around 9am on the 17th of December. We were met by a couple of guys from our climbing party. They picked us up and got us to the Hotel. We were later met by the guide, Fredrick, who was a great guy and made us feel at ease. The hotel was pretty incredible and was located in

Arusha, Tanzania.
The following day we were picked up and set off for the 2 hour drive to the Lemosho glades. Our plan was to take the Lemosho Route which would take us through 7 different camps, 45 miles, and 18,000 feet elevation gain. At the glades we met the rest of our team. We had a guide, assistant guide, cook, and seven porters. We were allowed to carry small day packs, the porters carried everything else, tents, food, sleeping gear, etc.
We arrived at the glades and began our hike to the first camp, Forest camp. It took us about 3 hours and the terrain was nice and easy going. We hiked through a rain forest which was lush

and green. We were at the camp around 3pm. The crew set up the tents, made dinner and we had a good night sleep.
The following day we set out for the second camp, Shira 1, which was now in the Heather More Zone. This was the beginning of the end of easy. This hike took us a little bit longer, 4 hours, and was steep. We were definitely going up, quickly. We still were setting a good pace and in fact, we beat the porters to the camp. Usually the porters were able to let the clients start, break down the camp, pass you on the trail, and have the camp set up for you when you arrive at
the next one. Jennifer and I have been hiking

and backpacking quite a bit, so we were actually faster than some of the porters were used to. The guides asked us to slow down a little for fear the porters could hurt themselves trying to beat us to the next camp. After another dinner, we were fast asleep.
We awoke on day 3 to overcast and cloudy. After breakfast we set out for Shira 2. The terrain was small brush and very rocky. The weather was overcast and a little cool. We slowed it down a notch but still came in under the scheduled time. However, the porters were able to pass us and have the camp setup for our arrival. We had another great dinner and hit the sack. At this point you could start to feel the altitude and our appetites were starting to disappear.
Day 4 we awoke to rain. We were warned it would be a long day, climbing to over 15,000 to the lava tower. This would allow us to acclimatize at a slower rate by going up, then going down to Barranco Camp. We headed up to the lava tower. It was a long uphill, taking almost 3.5 hours. Along the way the temperature dropped and the rain turned to snow. We had snow for at least 2.5 hours of the hike. When we got to the lava tower, the wind was blowing extremely hard

and made it quite chilly. We stayed at the lava tower for about 15 minutes for lunch; we then headed down to Barranco Camp. Jennifer and I both were now starting to feel the altitude. We got the great news at camp that tomorrow we would have to climb the Barranco Wall. This was a vertical wall with what looked like a sketchy trail to get to the top. We were not excited about it at all.
Day 5 we started up the wall. It was sketchy and there were parts that you had to use your hands and climb like a ladder. What made it worse was that the temperature was low and the rain had turned to ice. We finally got over the wall and

were well on our way to camp 5, Karanga Camp. Were now in the tundra landscape. Big rocks and very little vegetation. We had to cross up and over several valleys to the next camp. It was quite the climb taking us almost 4 hours. The porters again beat us to camp and had it all set up and waiting when we got there.
Day 6 we knew was going to be all up hill. We were going to take it slow because we were now short of breathe just walking to the bathroom. We went straight uphill to Barafu Camp which is about 15,000 elevation. We got there in 3 hours and after lunch, were told to sleep until 11pm. This would be the accent attempt to the summit.

Barafu is the last camp before summit attempt. The plan is at 11pm you wake up and head for the summit. It takes between 6-7 hours to climb and be at the top when the sun rises. The reason for this is because usually by 9-10am, the top is clouded in and you cannot see anything. We went to sleep and tossed and turned for several hours and even felt two strong earthquakes on the mountain (we were told these are normal, still didn’t make us feel warm and fuzzy). At 11pm we were awoken and got ready. Stepping outside the tent I saw one of the most spectacular sites ever. We planned the dates of the climb around the full moon. When I stepped out, you could see

the crystal clear skies with the peak right there, it was breath taking. We began to climb up the long, steep trail.
Day 7 we were making good time to the top of the mountain. It was incredible. It took everything we had to keep pushing on. We made it to Stella’s point which is the end of the major uphill, and the first time you get a view of the true peak. We took a small break but kept pushing on. At 5:25am on December 24th, 2007 Jennifer and I reached the top of Kilimanjaro (known as Uhuru Peak), the tallest point in Africa, the largest free standing Volcano in the world. The view can only be described as

WOW!!! We took our pictures at the top, watched the sun rise on one side and the moon begin to set on the other, checked out the glaciers, and got cold. We headed down after a 15 minute break at the top. We were so excited knowing we just fulfilled a longtime dream of ours. We made it back to camp at 10am for what was supposed to be a 2 hour nap before heading down to Mweka Camp. The excitement was so overwhelming that sleep didn’t happen. We then began the downhill march to the camp. This was the toughest part of the trip. The constant pounding on the knees brought pain to both Jennifer and I. We made it to the camp and had

dinner. We were grateful to the crew and made a decision to leave behind as much of our gear as we could. Needless to say, they were thrilled.
Day 8 I got extremely sick. Jennifer and I believe that I got a bug from the water. It took everything I had to get out of bed and get moving. About 2 hours in on the final downhill to the Mweka gate I began to feel a little better, but Jennifer’s knees began to hurt again. We finally made it to the bottom, signed the book, got our certificates, and had a coca-cola. It was nice. We then made it back to the hotel where a nice long hot shower was in order.
We would like to say thanks to

ClimbingKilimanjaro.com for their professionalism on the mountain, the guide Fredrick and Assistant Guide Patrick, and the Porters. We enjoyed ourselves and appreciate the memories.
We made it back to the hotel and had a wonderful dinner.
Took see the safari portion of our trip, go back and click on the safari tab.

KEEP SCROLLING DOWN FOR MORE PICTURES

Pictures (top to bottom)

- The plane we got to fly over on

- The suites in business class - very nice!!

- The mountain on the way to the glades

- The drive to the gate - sketchy road + good driver = safely made it

- Forest camp - going lite - Elevation 9280 ft

- We weren't the only ones at the camp, another group

- Hike through the rain forest to Shira 1 camp

- Shira 1 camp - Elevation 11,500 ft

- Kilimanjaro behind our tent at Shira 1

- On the way to Shira 2 Camp

- The porters carrying our stuff